


Another Time, Another Place

by wolfdancer333



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst and Feels, Broken Families, F/M, Headcanon, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 04:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14417454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfdancer333/pseuds/wolfdancer333
Summary: Cat Noir respects Ladybug’s identity wishes and never presses her for who she is. But this year, this Christmas, he gifts her with something special: his own identity. And they are both given the gift of letting go of the future to the present. Can their love survive the cold of Christmas night? Or is the future too much to bear?





	1. Maybe We Could Be.....

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by this prompt:   
> Person A: Another place, another time, and we might have fallen in love.  
> Person B: That’s okay.  
> Person A: …It is?  
> Person B: Yep! *glances at their clock*  
> Person B: Follow me.  
> Person A: *follows B for a few metres before stopping because they stopped*  
> Person B: How about here and now?  
> Person A: This works *embraces B*
> 
> I have deviated a bit and added or changed some things to fit the story. I hope you enjoy the twist this story takes and I hope it makes you feel as much as I did while writing it! Comments are always welcome! :)

“Hey, Marinette!” 

The voice that called out to her made her spin around, bright red scarf flowing out behind her, with large blue eyes. Her cheeks flushed a slight pink, a crooked smile flashing over her face as she tried to greet her crush: Adrien Agreste was definitely a model and the last two years had only improved the already beautiful looks Marinette knew he had. His lithe, tall form had sprouted another foot and his golden hair had gotten only more soft, wild more often than tame. His green eyes had only got more pronounced resembling her partner’s a bit too much, the cat-like gleam in them making them shine.

He was walking steadily towards her, his “model” smile as she liked to call it firmly in place despite the whispers behind him, people pointing and squealing – girls, she noted with dismay, the girls noticing him. Still, his eyes remained fixed on her and a surge of glee sprouted in her chest. His long, white button up coat was flowing and completely fur-lined on the inside. A white hood was lying flat in the back and as he approached her, his silver boots crunched with snow stuck on the bottom. 

When he reached her, he leaned down, so close she could smell his musky cologne and the spicy scent that belonged only to Adrien, and kissed both her cheeks in succession. She was sure she was probably more red than her scarf, ducking her face into it’s cotton warmth, and simply waved. Adrien didn’t take offence and chuckled instead, smile turning into a grin as he linked her arm through his, beginning to walk them through Paris’ shops lining the Seine. 

Her fur coat could never keep her as warm as walking beside Adrien through the Seine, his tall form offering her the chance to examine his growing features. Which she did, still unable to speak, her tongue feeling heavy in her mouth. Words she wished she could say swirling in her brain. Marinette looked down at her plain attire and winced. Her coat was something she had stitched up and it was over 3 years old, the stitching becoming worn and the coat itself ratty from it’s use. It was dark blue, form fitting, with white fleece covering the inside.

Her mittens were also hand-stitched, pure white but she had made them just last year and they were more sturdy. The wool of the mittens was fraying on the inside and Marinette took a quick glance at the model walking beside her, taking in his long strides and the crinkle at the corner of his eyes.

Marinette knew Adrien Agreste very well. Throughout their 2 years in Francois Dupont, they had become really close friends - “Just a friend.” still ran in her ears every day – so she knew when something was wrong. She looked down at her faded dark blue boots and mumbled, “Y-You can….Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

He looked down at her, surprised at probably being caught, and she gave him a gentle smile in return, tightening her hold on his arm. Unconsciously, her body moved slightly closer, offering him comfort from her warmth. 

He looked ahead at all the Christmas shoppers flitting in and out of the stores, happy and laughing, and his smile turned bitter causing Marinette’s breath to halt. “It’s okay. I’m used to it, Mari. Thank you. I mean that.”

Even though the cold, bitterness remained in his green gaze, when he looked down into her eyes, the look was softer and his smile was all for her. She felt the familiar heat in her body at his attention on her. “Uh, yes, well, I could listen to your voice forever…..” Her eyes widened when he raised an eyebrow at her and she jumped away, waving her arms in front of her as she tried to clarify she didn’t mean what she actually did mean. “No, uh, I mean, I’m here to listen to your voice anytime!”

Realizing this didn’t sound any better, her mittens covered her face as she shook her head. “I’m here if you need me, I meant.”

Adrien laughed loudly, the laugh that made her lift her head and giggle along with him, a hand raising to his mouth to muffle the beautiful sound and she wondered who could ever want to stifle the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. 

His green eyes pierced her with a gentle look. “Yeah, you are. Thank you, Mari.”

She wasn’t sure when he had started calling her Mari but she found, though the nickname usually bugged her, coming from his lips it sounded almost….Tender, intimate. Marinette’s smile was small and shy, fidgeting with a boot as her hands fell behind her back. “Did you have anywhere specific you wanted to go? I-I mean, if you weren’t too busy, I could….Oh, what am I saying, of course you’re busy! I’ll just…..Go finish my Christmas shopping.”

She gestured dimly out somewhere away from the Seine, her cheeks a mortifying red, but the gesturing hand was caught in mid-swing by a large firm grip seconds before the form of a lean man rushing down the street-side of the Seine slammed into her back. She thrust out her free hand, yelping, but Adrien’s tight grip on her other hand pulled her flush into him, her face nestled in his chest against his coat and instantly, her heart started to pound.

He let go of her hand and called out to the man who had shoved into her, “Hey, you just ran into my friend, it’s Christmas! Can you apologize to her?”

The man, his eyes frantic, paused and looked back, seeing Adrien holding Marinette by her shoulders who was trying to sink into her coat. The man approached her bowing his head quickly, eyes flicking between her and Adrien. “Um, pardon me, Mademoiselle! I did not mean you any harm!”

Marinette straightened at the frantic look in the man’s sky blue orbs. He was thin and older, a worn-torn brown leather trench coat wrapped around his figure. It did nothing to alleviate the cold from the holey, torn coat and his body shivered at the icy wind blowing from the river to their right. Her smile was gentle when she unbuttoned her coat, shrugging it off, and flinging it over the man’s shoulders. His eyes widened and she tucked it around him, smiling up at him as she told him, “Monsieur, be safe going home to your family. Stay warm.”

The tears in his eyes made Marinette’s heart fill with warmth. “Merci, merci!”

With a couple more bows, he was off again, Marinette’s coat wrapped around him. She watched him go, feeling Tikki in the purse at her side patting her. She placed a hand on the purse holding her kwami and gave it a squeeze of acknowledgement. She squeaked when a warm, familiar white coat fell over her head, falling over her body. It was long and extremely warm, the fur scratchy yet comfortable against her and she spun around to face Adrien. He was coat-less now, the white silky material from Gabriel Agreste’s Winter Collection thrown over her. 

The fond smile caused her to laugh awkwardly and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, their bodies tightly pressed together. She squeaked and he chuckled. “I don’t bite. Much.”

She looked at him, aghast, and he fumbled in their next few steps with laughter. Marinette crossed her arms but a smile pulled at the corner of her lips. “I don’t believe you.”

Adrien grinned, his arm still on her shoulders, heavy against her neck and her heart stuttered at the thought that maybe they looked like a couple. “That was very sweet of you, Mari. You’re always so amazingly kind. I wish a lot more people were like you.”

She flushed, dark red, and hid her face in the side of Adrien’s firm chest, her heart warming. “I just did what was right. He was only in a hurry to get back to his family.”

Whatever Adrien was about to say was interrupted by the jingle of a phone that was not her own and her eyes softened when Adrien’s bright, glowing eyes darkened. He looked at her, smile not reaching his eyes, a heavy, dark storm brewing in them. “Do I have to answer it?”

Marinette shook her head, eyes soft and sad, sympathetic. “Not if you don’t want to. I won’t tell any one if you don’t.”

Adrien reached into his black jeans and pulled out a vibrating, ringing smart phone. He stared at the screen, clutching the phone in his hand, and Marinette’s heart broke at the dejected loneliness swirling in his gaze. Reacting to the pain in his eyes, she reached over, her hand hiding the phone and Adrien drew his gaze up to her own. 

She was unwavering, steady, eyes soft and firm, an unyielding bluebell gaze. “Do you want to shopping with me help?”

They both blinked before Adrien huffed out a laugh and Marinette threw her hands in the air, face completely red, and she frowned when she felt Tikki laughing through the purse. “Shopping! With me!”

Adrien grabbed her hands, holding them between their bodies, his chuckles raising through the Winter air and the cloudy Christmas day, people chattering and rushing past them. “I would be honored, Mademoiselle. Shall we?”

He held out an arm for her and she was thrust back to a rainy day, hesitancy, a budding love, and an umbrella. His arm was her link to him, an offer, and if she took it, she knew she would only drown more and more in love with this gorgeous boy. She reached out slowly for his arm, wrapping her fingers around the crease in his black, long sleeved shirt and felt him place a hand over hers, warm and steady. Pulling her in, he smiled down at her, his blonde hair falling into his face and Marinette held tight to his arm to keep from pushing it back so she could see his budding features.

He was definitely becoming a man. He was taller, lithe, but her measuring eye – every fashion designer has the ability to quickly deduce measurements and okay, she may have studied Adrien’s enough to know EXACT ones but that was besides the point! - showed her the rippling, tight muscles in his chest, his stomach. The arm she held was lean but weighted and a heat pooled in her stomach at the thought of these arms wrapped around her.

His legs were toned and she watched his jeans move when he walked, her eye seeing all the beautiful designs she would love to see him in. Her eyes drew back up to his smiling face, the side-profile allowing her to view him without him seeing her. His shoulders weren’t thick or bulky but instead firm and small. His strong jaw line was curved in the right places and Marinette wondered who in their right mind wouldn’t want Adrien Agreste as a model? He had a face models dreamed of with his strong jaw, curved cheeks, mid cheek bones that brought out his face.

His upturned, cattish eyes with long lashes had most girls falling, literally, head over heels – Marinette would know, she tripped around him all the time and could vouch that one look into those eyes would cause immediate clumsiness! And then there was his golden-blonde hair, soft and wild, that stuck out from his face and accentuated his features.

Turning from his features to Paris’ scenic shopping line near the beautiful river, Marinette didn’t notice her phone ringing, her eyes closed and smiling into the icy wind. Adrien, however, did. With a soft look at one of his closest friends, he reached for her phone in the purse at her side. He pulled it free, the simple display showing Alya’s name and a picture of her grinning face. Smiling, he pushed the green call button and pushed the speaker button, letting Alya’s voice filter through the air between them.

“Hey, girl, what’s up? You didn’t call me back. Rude.” He could hear the rolling of her eyes and he smiled widely. That was so Alya. “Anyway, have you finished shopping for Adrien’s gift yet?”

Adrien raised an eyebrow and tried to stifle the laughter in his voice as he mumbled out, “Hey, Alya. No, we’re currently out now and Marinette is –“

There was a muffled, distorted thump, a squeal-scream, followed by a cough before Alya’s shaky voice graced the speakers of the phone. “Let me guess, she’s out in la-la land?”

Adrien laughed, taking a quick glance at his companion who was, indeed, out in “la-la land”. He smiled tenderly at the way her eyes flitted over all the lights of the shops, the people all chattering and laughing, smiling, as they walked down the streets. Evening was setting and the music of Paris began to hum through the air as the Eiffel Tower was slowly being lit up in the distance. 

“Annnnnd now you’ve joined her. Hello! Paging Adrien and Marinette!” Alya’s irritation was overruled by the humor in her tone.

Adrien opened his mouth to retort when a screech made him shoot his eyes toward a shaking Marinette. She was looking between him and her phone where Alya’s picture was clearly visible along with the red, hang up button at the bottom of the screen. Her face paled and Adrien became concerned he may have just broken her. 

“Uh, Alya, how pissed would you be if I broke your best friend?”

“Very. Return her in one piece or I will skin you.” Her reply was instant and Adrien chuckled mirthlessly, scratching the back of his head, fearful of her rage. A moment later, her voice softened. “Can you give us a minute?”

Marinette had been extremely elated to view the dawning of the setting of the sun over Paris’ city. The shops lights had begun to dimly light up the beautiful, snowy covered streets. People were laughing and smiling, cheerful despite the weather, and Marinette had been ecstatically awed to see posters honoring her as Ladybug – but no one knew that – and Cat Noir. There were little bowls and candles lighting the bottom of the posters with little offerings and she had felt a powerful surge of protectiveness and euphoria fill her when she saw the children leaving behind little gifts.

But from the depths of her mind, she heard a mutedly familiar voice, drawing her back slowly towards it, the heat of Adrien’s body next to her keeping her grounded. Her blood turned to ice in her veins when she heard the shout of her best friend, suddenly noticing the missing presence of her phone from her purse. She reached in with her free hand, refusing to let go of Adrien’s arm in case she fainted which was highly possible, and when she found her phone missing, her eyes snapped up in horror, face pale, to see Adrien holding her phone – on call with Alya.

Alya, who would embarrass her for fun. Alya, who knew all her secrets. Alya, who was most definitely not allowed to talk to Adrien on her own. She meant to grab the phone from him and take it off speaker, yell at Alya for ruining their….Not date….And then make her best friend grovel for forgiveness. What happened instead was her vocal chords forgot how to speak and she let out a horrified, undignified screech that had Adrien’s wide eyes falling to her in surprise.

She was mortified, embarrassed beyond belief, as she held out a hand for her phone and looked down at the ground avoiding Adrien’s eyes. His fingers grazed hers when he passed the phone to her, lingering, before she heard his foot steps crunch through the snow and move away from her. She took Alya off speaker and put the phone to her ear, biting her lip as she watched Adrien stand to look out over the Seine, his hands on the little ledge as he bent slightly forward. He looked untouchable in the falling sunlight, his hair blowing wildly, and her heart ached at being near him. She felt the hot tears welling up and sniffled.

Alya’s voice was comforting, pushing through the fog in her mind, and without Adrien’s warmth, the cold was setting in. The icy wind, the chill of Winter’s night falling, seeped into her bones through Adrien’s large coat, her jeans barely holding out the cold. Shivering, she wrapped her free arm around her middle, eyes trained on Adrien’s single form. “Hey, Marinette, it’s gonna be okay. Show him, girl, this is your chance. Show him the Marinette I know and love and I promise you, he’ll find it impossible not to love you too. Plus, when I come over later tonight for our slumber party, I want all the deets!”

Marinette smiled, always thankful for Alya’s friendship, her chest tightening in love for Alya. “Thanks, Alya. I….I haven’t stuttered too much. And, uh, we’re going to browse some shops. For Christmas!” She smiled wide when she heard Alya’s squeal of delight. “Wait.” Marinette crinkled her eyebrows in confusion, teeth chattering in the cold. “We have a slumber party planned tonight?”

“We do now. You aren’t getting away tonight without revealing _everything_ to me, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Marinette laughed and she heard the teasing over the distorted speaker of the phone. “This might be the Christmas you get the kiss with your model-boy.”

Marinette flushed, blood flowing into her cheeks. “Alya. We’re friends going Christmas shopping.”

“In Paris. At night. With your secret crush.” 

Marinette winced at Alya’s deadpan tone. “He doesn’t know. And even if he did, he…..He probably doesn’t like me that way.”

“Marinette, you are amazing. You’re talented, beautiful, and if he doesn’t, I’ll make him regret ever coming to school.” Alya’s tone was light but Marinette’s eyes welled with tears anyway at the heartfelt words. “Girl, have some confidence! Adrien isn’t blind. He may not know your feelings but that’s why you should show him!”

Marinette sighed into the receiver, the wind rustling through her hair and causing her to shiver at the cold. Her eyes fell on the blonde hair by the river and a deep pain filtered through her chest, light and piercing. She mumbled into her phone, “What if he rejects me?”

Alya was silent a moment before her quiet voice flowed between them, lighting up a fire in Marinette’s eyes. “You can’t live your life on what ifs. What if he doesn’t….” Marinette could hear the shrug. “But what if he does? You can ask yourself what ifs all day girl but they aren’t going to tell Adrien how you feel. Hey, if you’re not ready, don’t worry about it.”

Marinette’s eyes widened and she stared at the receiver in shock, the name still flashing Alya, before bringing it back to her ear. Alya laughed. “Please, I know you just double-checked the phone! Yes, I know that’s usually not like me to NOT encourage you to profess your undying love for one hot stuff model.” Marinette giggled. “But seriously, Mari, if you’re not ready, wait. I want you happy, and you need to be comfortable telling him. If you’re not, spend time with him and enjoy it. Enjoy him. And give me all the details later! I mean it, all of them!”

Marinette laughed and hummed her agreement into the phone. Alya’s voice was muffled before she came back on, disheartened. “I love you girl but I gotta watch the twin monsters while my Mom heads out to finish some shopping herself. But I promise, I will be there later!”

Marinette relaxed, feeling much better after talking to Alya, and softly told her, “I love you, Al. Thanks, for you know, everything.”

Alya’s tone was soft when she replied and both girls giggled at the wobble to their voices. “I am always here for you, girl. Always. Have fun but not too much fun! See you tonight!”

Marinette didn’t get to respond before the dial tone hit her ear drums and she turned off her phone, slipping into her purse with Tikki. She paused before she could head over to Adrien, her eyes wide. She unclasped her purse and stared with wide, frantic eyes at Tikki, who was staring up at her with equally fearful eyes. 

She looked around, making sure she was relatively alone before she whispered to her kwami, “Did he see you!? How did he get my phone?”

Tikki shook her head, closing her eyes with her little chest panting. “He didn’t see me. I pushed the phone into his hand before he could grab me. But it was a close call Marinette!”

Marinette sighed in relief, sticking in a finger to pat Tikki’s head gently, the kwami giving her a soft smile. “I promise, extra cookies later. Thank you Tikki. I’m going to be out with Adrien a bit more so I’ll try to be more aware!”

Tikki nodded, hugging her finger quickly, and then pointing out of the purse, her eyes shinning. “Don’t worry about me! Go!”

Marinette smiled and closed her purse over her kwami’s teasing blue eyes. Turning to face Adrien, she saw him looking at her, head tilted, a smile swaying over his lips. She froze at the delicate, tender expression, his arms leaning back on the ledge and his feet stretched out before him. For a moment, he looked so much like Cat Noir, Marinette had to shake her head to clear the image as she meandered to him. Her boots crunched through the layer of fallen snow, moving slowly so she didn’t slip on the ice underneath, and held her arms around herself underneath Adrien’s coat. As she approached he straightened up, the wind blowing through his hair, and she bit her lip, ducking her eyes.

“Sorry about Alya. I didn’t know she was going to call or I would have been paying more attention.”

Adrien didn’t hesitate to rebuke her, tone firm. “Don’t be. Alya is a great friend and she cares about you. She threatened me to take care of you.” He winked at her and Marinette giggled, the tension between them easing a bit. “So, what are your plans? Where were you headed?”

Marinette smiled and turned to face the shops, Adrien coming up next to her. She pointed to a shop further down the Seine, her family’s bakery down at the 21st arrondissement, and Adrien leaned over her shoulder. His breath tickled her ear and she flushed, her ears turning red at the close proximity. “T-There. I need a couple of things for Alya and Nino’s gifts. I’ve finished my Mama and Papa’s gifts. I’ve finished all our classmates.”

Adrien interrupted a moment, raising an eyebrow at her, his head tilting onto her shoulder. He smiled teasingly. “Including Chloe?”

Marinette nodded with no hesitation. “Yes, even Chloe. After Mademoiselle Bustier was akumatized, I realized Chloe just needed someone to help her. I mean, I don’t know what happened with her mother but maybe Chloe has her reasons for not trusting anyone.”

Green eyes lit up as Adrien leaned back, his hands folded behind his back casually, his gaze flowing over the shops lining the walkway. “I’ve been friends with Chlo for a long time. She’s not a horrible person. I know she’s done some,” She caught his wince out the corner of her eyes. “Terrible things, especially to you Marinette. But the fact you’re willing to forgive her and help her is pretty amazing.”

She turned her head to look back at him, shrugging with a gentle tilt of her lips. “I may not like her but I don’t hate her. And I’m the last person who can pass judgement. She deserves a chance to be happy. We all do.”

When the arm wrapped around her shoulder, she let her head fall to his chest, Adrien’s spicy scent curling her toes. His words were muffled through the chilly wind blowing through the Seine and the shops. “So do you, Mari. Don’t forget that you do, too.”

She let the silence pass between them before she whispered, curling her hands tightly into the fabric of his coat draped over her. “And you, too. I’ve got to get some finishing touches for your gift.”

As they walked, his arm around her shoulders, toward the dimly lit shop front Marinette felt a feeling welling up inside of her. It was strong, deep, and buried itself into her heart. She felt his arm around her shoulder, pressed against his chest, and she could feel every sensation. The snow crunch beneath their boots, small flurries beginning to fall. The smell of the water from the river was purifying and the cold, icy air flowed into her lungs. The swish of the long coat swirled around her body, Adrien’s body warm against her side.

Home. He was home and safety and comfort. This was Christmas and she wanted him to know how she felt. Remembering the lonely, faraway look in Adrien’s eyes, Marinette hesitantly lifted her arm behind Adrien, attempting to wrap it around his waist. The moment his eyes looked down at her, gentle and bright in the light of the shop’s front, she faltered and dropped her arm. She looked down at the glass door of her favourite: La Petite Lumiere. It was titled due to it’s small, quaint size and the way it brought “light” to the shop front.

The shop keep, a middle-aged woman with flowing blonde hair and emerald green eyes greeted them behind the glass counter as Adrien held the door for Marinette to pass through. She paused as she looked over everything, having been in here thousands of times but still finding it beautiful every time she entered. To the right were shelves and shelves of crafting materials like beads, sewing equipment, yarn, charms. To the left and in the display case for the shop were hand-sewn dresses: a beautiful summer, lacy white one and a thick, red Christmas dress with fur trim and a fur hood. 

Marinette walked forward, familiar with the layout, dodging the various baubles and display shelves. It was small, filled with wonders, and when she reached the wooden counter in the back with the attendant, she gave a gentle wave. “Hi, Emi.”

The blonde haired woman gasped, rushing across the counter with shiny emerald eyes, to pull Marinette into a hug. The teen laughed as she found herself pulled into a vigorous hug by a 30 year old woman who didn’t look any older than her mid-20’s. When Emi pulled back, she grabbed her cheeks and leaned forward to kiss Marinette’s forehead, mumbling, “Merry Christmas, ma cherie.”

When the woman’s eyes fell behind her, Marinette smiled and moved to the side so Adrien could step forward, glad for some of the attention to be off of her. “Mademoiselle Emi, this is Adrien. He’s…..My friend.”

Emi raised an eyebrow at her before greeting Adrien to one of her bright smiles and pulling him down to kiss his forehead gently, lingering, before she told him exuberantly, “Merry Christmas to you, too, Monsieur!”

Though there was no one in the shop, Emi headed behind the counter, leaning forward on her arms and gesturing at the shop with a loose hand. “What are you wanting from here so late in the night, ma cherie? You never come this late.”

Looking around, Marinette took a deep breath and listed off what she needed. It wasn’t much, mostly fabrics, and Emi grabbed everything the teen girl needed in seconds. She wrapped it in red paper and placed it into a plastic bag for her to carry home. When she took the materials and went to pay, Emi’s hand on her wrist stopped her. Adrien stood off to the side of the counter, watching the exchange with a gentle smile.

“No, ma cherie. It is on me.” Emi shoved a finger against Marinette’s opening mouth, shushing her. The woman leaned over, emerald eyes gleaming in the dim light. “You have done so much for me already.”

“I sewed two dresses that haven’t sold yet!”

Emi was firm and her voice left no room for argument. “You made me posters, helped set me up online, and you continuously buy from me and not some big chain store taking over businesses like me. You support me. It’s my Christmas gift to you.”

Her eyes narrowed, Marinette debated her options. It was a gift and refusing would look rude but she knew how hard Emi had business sometimes so Marinette sighed in defeat. “Oui. But! If the two dresses don’t sell, I will pay you back in interest.”

Proud of herself, Marinette crossed her arms and straightened her back. Emi rolled her eyes but nodded in acquiescence. “Oui oui. Now you and your,” Emi’s eyes were sly causing both teens to blush when she waggled her eyebrows at them. “ _Friend_ go on home before it gets too dark and cold out there.”

Marinette smiled and waved as she headed toward the front of the shop, giggling when Adrien held the door open for her. She curtsied and headed out into the cold, Winter air, her breath leaving a steam cloud behind. The moment she stepped out into the night, Adrien wrapped his arm around her shoulder and he steered them down the walkway of the river towards the distantly lit bakery. Marinette bit her lip, knowing Alya was hiding in her room by now and just as she was debating asking Adrien to stop, he paused in their walk, his hold on her shoulder causing her to stumble to a stop. 

She looked up at him confused but he didn’t look unperturbed. There was a look in his green gaze as it slowly rolled over her that made her heart falter and her cheeks flush. A grin replaced the odd, intent look before he gestured away from the bakery and toward Francois Dupont in the distance. The snow was beginning to fall harder and Marinette looked worriedly up at the sky before turning her head back to look up at him. 

“The school? This late?”

He grinned, devious, and her body set light to the cold. “There’s something I want to show you.”

He pulled away and she mourned the loss of him, her body growing colder. Adrien held out a hand to her, snow covering his hair and shoulders in little flakes. The dark sky reflected the brightness of his hair and eyes and Marinette took a deep breath of cold air. She looked down at his open hand, small snowflakes landing in his palm and melting at the heat, before her eyes darted shyly up to meet his own. Christmas was here and tonight was the last night to get her presents ready, not just for her friends and family, but for him.

His green orbs read her hesitancy and he nodded backwards to the school over the Pont De La Tournelle. “It’s just over the bridge. I won’t let anything happen to you, Mari. Trust me.”

It was the way his eyes stared deep into her soul that she reached slowly for his hand, letting her fingers slip into his open palm. He curled his fingers around her hand, holding it firmly for a second. The boyish, content smile that flashed over his features was worth it and she felt an answering grin on her own face. Reading each other’s minds, the moment he spun and began to run down the Pont De La Tournelle towards College Francois Dupont, her feet thudded behind him, their linked hands held tight between them. 

A sort of fluffy, warm happiness bubbled inside her causing her to giggle as they ran, her feet stumbling here and there, but Adrien only held her hand tighter and his grin was wider the closer they got to the school. As their foot steps pounded over the stone of the bridge, Marinette felt her heart beat slowing down inside of her as her eyes found the love of her life. His blonde hair was flying behind them as he ran, glimmering with the falling snow, his long sleeved t-shirt hugging tightly to him. His jeans were form-fitting, as expected of a model, but the thing she found most beautiful was the free and open, toothy grin.

It was a look she had never seen before on Adrien Agreste’s face but in her mind, it clicked, a puzzle piece finally finding a home in the massive collection of memories. Cat-like, slit green eyes flashed through her mind wearing that same smile. Time slowed down as the epiphany hit her. She expected she would have been pissed, hurt, maybe a little mortified. She didn’t expect to feel such relief and happiness flare from her chest to the tips of her toes. She felt as free as he looked and when time resumed at a normal pace, she found herself throwing her head back, laughing into the night air, knowing Adrien would catch her if she fell. He was always there when she needed him.

As soon as his feet slowed, Marinette stopped, her breath coming in quick, heavy pants. But the broad smile was impossible to erase. She bent over, her free hand on a knee to keep her steady, Adrien’s hand in hers a warm anchor that this was real, that her revelation wasn’t a dream, that her nightly run through Paris on Christmas night with the boy she loved was real. When she straightened up, she found herself staring up at College Francois Dupont, dark and silent against the Winter sky and lit-up Paris. 

The tan of the exterior stone walls was the only colour visible in the night. The whole school was covered in white from the snow from over the last few days. The continuously falling flakes now were only adding a sparkling glimmer, making the school stand out against the rolling dark of the sky. The steps leading up to the school were hazardously covered in shiny ice and snow and Marinette raised an eyebrow at Adrien whose happy smile faltered into a shy, nervous twitch. She looked up at the skyline, her eyes looking up at the roof of the school wishing she could tell Adrien she was Ladybug. She could just whisk them up to the slate blue cobblestone roof with her yo-yo and tell him who she was. 

Glancing down at her purse, she expected a rebuke of her thoughts, but Tikki was oddly quiet and Marinette was pulled from her expectations by Adrien approaching her with an odd look, her stomach flipping in response. Her shoulders tensed at the emotions flying through his eyes. Apprehension, doubt, worry but it was the way he looked defeated, as if she had just broken his heart, that had her senses tingling in concern. She had just come to the realization that the love of her life was also the partner she trusted with her life and the fact he looked defeated made her want to smack him because if anyone had rights to be upset, it was her.

Instead of doing anything to make him self conscious, she squeezed the hand she still held and offered the sincerest, most reassuring smile she had. His body relaxed slightly and he gestured towards the steps with a fit arm. “We have to traverse the dangers of Christmas night. Are you prepared?”

Marinette pretended to think, narrowing her eyes at the icy steps, before she shrugged teasingly. “Well we’ve made it this far, what else have we got to lose?”

Adrien laughed and sent her a familiar wink that sent her pulse thundering. “Nothing, absolutely nothing left to lose. Besides, the surprise is in the school courtyard.”

She nodded, stepping up next to him, looking up at him softly. “Yeah. We can do it. Together.” 

His cheeks flushed and her wide eyes snapped to the snow covered ground when her words registered. His quiet voice sent her into near-hysteria. “With you, yeah, we can.”

An awkward quiet fell between the two and Marinette let go of his hand to approach the treacherous steps, her boots crushing the newly fallen snow beneath her steps. When she stepped onto the first step, she regretted her decision. Her foot slipped forward and she squealed, flailing her arms about to keep her balance, her bag from Emi’s shop waving with her. She heard Adrien’s feet thudding behind her to catch her but she bent at the waist, waved her arms, and remained upright. Once the danger of falling had passed, she rose to her height with a relieved sigh.

She played with one of her blue-black pigtails as she nervously glanced back at a panting, wide-eyed Adrien who had raised eyebrows, arms stuck between his side and reaching to catch her if she fell. “Uh, I’m sorry. I’m used to catching myself, I mean, my clumsiness is sort of legendary.”

Adrien laughed, his hands falling into his jeans pockets, and he gazed up with a half-smile and bright green eyes. “Yeah, I’ve seen it first hand. But, you know,” He looked away, his cheeks darkening as he mumbled. “It’s always been kinda cute. All sort-of Marinette.”

She felt her face redden to match Santa’s suit and turned back to the steps, her heart thumping unevenly in her chest. She forgot how to breathe for a moment as she mumbled back, “It’s definitely Marinette but, uh, you’re cute too…..” Her eyes widened dramatically and she spun to face him, waving her arms crazily. “I meant, thank you!”

The ice refused to be deterred and in seconds, she was falling forward, slipping off the step. It wasn’t a far distance and wouldn’t have really hurt her – and she was also pretty sure she could have caught herself – but Adrien rushed forward before she could blink. She found herself in his arms again and she froze, wondering how this kept happening to her. She groaned and buried her face into her hands as she pulled slightly away. 

“I am so sorry.”

He laughed above her and his hands fell on her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze and she looked hesitantly up at him from beneath her lashes. “You’re Marinette. I expect it.”

She narrowed her eyes but her lips lifting into a smile betrayed her as she gave him a gentle shove, his hands falling off her shoulders. “Oh yeah, thanks, Adrien. You know, there’s this whole….” She thought before she grinned, playful and serious at the same time, sending the message with her blue orbs: _I know, Kitty Cat_. “There’s this whole _catty_ side to you I’ve never seen before.”

He tensed and she took pride in the fact he caught her hidden meaning. She focused on making her bluebell gaze confused, mouth parting and eyebrows crinkling as she asked him, “Are you okay, Adrien?”

He laughed, nervous, the sound unnaturally loud and forced, before he coughed and started to climb the stairs, head ducked between his shoulders as he mumbled back to her, “Uh, yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

Behind him, following in his footsteps, she giggled inwardly. Biting her lip, hands behind her back and gifts in the bag around her wrist, she knew she was going to have a lot of fun teasing her Cat. The Cat that had always been there, right in front of her, always beside her. She should feel mad but she didn’t. Marinette felt relief, a massive relief that her best friend and trusted partner was also the boy she loved. Looking at his back as they walked, the muscles rippling underneath his shirt and his ears tinted red in embarrassment, a rush of affection flowed through her. This was her boy, both sides of him, and she didn’t have to divide her heart in half to the hero who would die for her and the boy who always made her feel the happiest. 

Stepping up closer behind Adrien’s hunched form, the two teens made it up the stairs, approaching the double dark, oak doors with gray handles and taking shelter from the falling snow beneath the slight awning of the school. Giggling, Marinette ran a hand over the top of her hair and watched the snow fall to the ground at her feet. When she looked up at Adrien, he was watching her, his green eyes almost glowing with a toothy smirk. Knees feeling weak, Marinette gulped quietly. If there had been a doubt he was Cat Noir before, she wasn’t seeing any now.

The Cat was everywhere in Adrien and Adrien’s kind, caring nature was there in Cat. He leaned closer, down to her level, and breathed into the quiet of the night around them, “I have a way in. Just wait here and I’ll let you in.”

Marinette knew, in that moment, seeing his glowing eyes and toothy smile, that he was about to become Cat Noir, break into school, let her in, and surprise her with something that was sure to cause her to faint. She smiled weakly, shoulders dropping. “I’ll wait here for you then. Don’t be too long. My parents would not be happy for me to be caught breaking into the school on Christmas.”

Adrien’s smile instantly vanished and he looked away but he wasn’t quick enough. Marinette had seen the flash of disappointment in his brightly lit pools of green and she wondered if anyone had even wished him a merry Christmas, if his Father had bothered to say he loved him the way she wanted to every day, she wondered if his Mother was looking down and crying at the isolation her son dealt with. 

Blinking quickly to push past the tears at his terrible luck – he truly was a black cat cursed with bad luck – she whispered, “Let’s make it worth it.”

Adrien’s grateful smile was enough for her. He turned away, looked both ways teasingly down the empty streets filling quickly with snow, and darted out of the awning with a thumbs up back to her. She giggled, waiting until he had disappeared into the snowy night, before pulling her purse up to her chest and popping the clasp open. Immediately, Tikki’s head poked out, the little kwami’s large blue eyes staring intently into her own.

It wasn’t a scolding look but Marinette felt like a child in her thousands year old kwami’s eyes. “Not going to scold me or talk me out of it?”

Sighing, Tikki shook her head, her antenna bobbing. “Of course not, Marinette. Would you listen?”

They both giggled at that and Marinette smiled sheepishly. “I wish I could say yes.”

Tikki giggled again, her little hands gripping tight to the purse edge. “Your identities were hidden to protect you. But I don’t think there’s a need for that any more. I think….I may have been too harsh on you. Master Fu told me recently he thinks it might be good for you to know who your partner is.”

Her eyes softened and Marinette whispered, “I know.”

Tikki paused, eyes scanning Marinette’s, before her expressive eyes widened even more. The red kwammi darted out of the purse, hands clutching her Chosen’s cheeks as she shouted, “What!? When!?”

Gasping, Marinette shoved Tikki back into her purse, looking around critically for any sign of Cat or Adrien. When nothing but the dark, quiet Parisian streets greeted her, she sighed in relief and looked down to her kwami. 

Tikki was looking up at her with her arms crossed and blue eyes narrowed. “Sorry, Tikki. I know Cat is Adrien but….He doesn’t know who I am. I don’t intend to tell him either.”

Tikki blinked up at her and then a small, knowing smile spread over the red God’s face. “That’s not fair on Cat. I think you should tell him, Marinette. Maybe it’s time to change things around. After all, different is good.”

Eyes misty, Marinette leaned down as she pushed her purse upwards, her lips falling onto her kwami’s forehead. “Thank you, Tikki. You’re a very good friend and I love you. Thank you for…..For everything. Merry Christmas Tik.”

The little kwami’s eyes were glassy as she hugged herself into her Chosen’s cheek with a happy hum. “Merry Christmas, Marinette. I have had many Chosen, many Ladybugs, but you’ve always been a special one. I love you and Adrien would be stupid not to love you, too.”

A vibration broke apart kwami and Chosen as Tikki groaned and pointed at Marinette’s lit up phone, a text notification popping up on the screen. “That thing has been going off non-stop! I think it’s Alya.” 

Marientte squeaked and dropped her purse, ignoring Tikki’s squeal as the kwami was suddenly falling through the air and holding tight to the purse, as she pulled out her phone. She fumbled with the screen lock before she dragged down her notifications, eyes widening at the number of texts from her best friend: 23. She opened her text chat with Alya after a few clicks with a wince. Most of them were pictures of Alya’s night with Nino but the last few were about Marinette’s whereabouts. The last text, written in all caps, made Marinette burst into giggles, a hand rising to her mouth.

_Alya: YOU BETTER NOT BE DITCHING ME FOR ADRIEN AGRESTE’S SEXY ASS, GIRL!_

The text was followed by a string of winky faces and laughing emojis. She tapped the space to start texting, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she typed the response. 

_Marinette: I’m not ditching you…..But I am still with hotstuff._

She waited with the text screen up, staring with a smile. If she knew her best friend like she thought she did, then…..Her phone dinged and she laughed at the text that popped up on the screen.

_Alya: GIRL!!! Code? Bases? CONFESSION??? Deets, I need them. Now._

Her face red at the word ‘base’ and knowing exactly what it meant, she typed out a furious response wanting to get it over with before Adrien returned. 

_Marinette: Code – 126. NO BASES! O///O Alya! It’s a night out with Adrien!_

She hesitated only a moment before typing out another text. 

_Marinette: …..In the school. Alone. With a ‘surprise’ he set up. On Christmas._

She began to tap her foot, waiting for Alya’s reply but Alya was nothing if not excitable, and when she was excitable, she didn’t waste time. Marinette’s phone vibrated a moment later.

_Alya: 126!? You remember which Code that is right? Because, girl, if you’re having sex with Adrien why are you texting me? :p Pfft, you don’t have to be together to touch bases. You’re a beautiful woman and he would be stupid to not want you. Can’t blame a best friend for asking._

Her face dark red, she groaned, waiting for Alya to respond to her second text sent a bit after the first. Her face flushed deeper at the second text Alya sent her. 

_Alya: MAKE THE FIRST MOVE OR I SWEAR I’M DISOWNING YOU!!!!!!_

She gasped when she heard the locks on the other side of the school doors being unlocked. Hastily, she shoved her phone into her purse, gesturing for Tikki to hide. Just as she clasped it closed, Adrien pulled one of the large oak doors open, his arm out as he bowed his head to her. “Your surprise awaits, M’Lady.”

Her gut pooled with warmth at the endearment. Any still hanging doubts were blown away. Cat was Adrien and Marinette’s eyes stung with tears, a wobbly smile spreading over her lips. She walked through, hearing Adrien close the door behind them with a click of the lock before she felt him next to her, their arms so close to touching that electricity still sparked in the space between them. She faced the courtyard and sucked in a deep breath, her body going limp at the sight that greeted her. The bag of her gifts fell to the ground and her purse joined it a moment later. It wasn’t perfect, not by any means, and judging by the state of it, it looked like he had thrown it together rather quickly. It instantly meant everything to her anyway.

The courtyard of Francois Dupont had an open view of the sky and nestled in the middle of the white line, marked court was a makeshift fort. Adrien must have been busy while she was talking to Tikki and texting Alya finishing it all up. There were desks strapped together and tied tightly all in a crescent moon shape. A large, thick white blanket was draped over the desks to generate and hold warmth. A blue tarp was thrown over top to keep out moisture. A stack of fluffy pillows were all huddled inside the fort with a thick comforter for sitting. The thing that endeared the whole thing to her were the softly glowing candles all around them. 

They were barely lit in the cold, wet snowing weather but their little flames were working hard. Rose petals littered the entire courtyard, reminiscent of the night she rejected her loving partner, and Marinette bit her lip to keep from crying out. She raised her hands to her mouth in wonder at the simply beautiful scene. She felt Adrien shift beside her and her watery gaze fell to the boy who had stolen her heart. He stole it again right then.

The corners of his eyes were crinkled at the soft smile that stretched broadly, his cheeks a deep red from the cold. There was a concentrated, focused look in his glowing green eyes and everything crashed down around her at the sudden realization that had her heart pounding. 

Her mouth parted. “You know….?”

His eyes narrowed and his smile stretched a bit wider as he cocked his head to the left, golden halo of hair framing the sly look on his face. “Know what?”

Her heart stuttered at the familiar look, the undeniable tilt of that head, and swallowed past the horrible lump in her throat at the thought that flashed through her mind. How could she love him with Hawkmoth out there? They were doomed from the start, weren’t they? Her heart plummeted and Adrien’s head snapped upright, gaze narrowed on her as she felt tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

She swiped a hand across her face and gave a wobbly smile, Adrien’s shoulders tensing and she saw the moment his glowing eyes dimmed. Words had never been necessary. She didn’t need to say what she was thinking; he could feel it. 

Her whisper slipped into the dark cold of Winter. “Another time, another place, another….Me and you and….” Her voice shook as she tried to gather her strength, her lip wobbling as she finished, “We could have been in love.”

She didn’t expect the tenderness of his hands on her cheeks as his thumbs stroked away her slowly falling tears. Looking up into his face, she was met with a soft, pained, heart broken look that brought on a fresh wave of pain in her heart, her hands clutching at the white coat near her heart. His whisper was hoarse and it nearly broke her. “That’s okay.”

She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, her eyes squeezed shut against the warm sting in her eyes. She bit her lip to keep it from shaking. She couldn’t look him in the eye, she couldn’t bear the pain any more. “…...Is it?”

There was a long moment where Adrien simply held her face in his large, warm hands, his breath ghosting over her forehead, before he sealed their fate. Or, maybe their fate had always been this, whatever this bond was between them. He uttered the fateful words that night and Marinette’s eyes opened wide.

“Claws Out.”

She watched, breath hitched, heart frozen, as the boy she loved beared his entire heart for her to see in the light of green-yellow and black sparkles. It started at his feet, the achingly familiar silver toed paws appearing in the glow of the transformation. It swirled and flowed up his legs leaving behind black spandex boots and crawled further up his body. At his hips, his tail took shape, wrapping around his middle and shooting out behind him in a flurry of black sparkles. The metal-tipped, belted tail twitched and instantly found it’s way to her, gently curling around one of her ankles. 

His staff, more like a baton in it’s short form, glittered at his lower back from behind him and Marinette watched, eyes shinning, as the magick travelled upward leaving behind shoulder pads as it fell down his arms. It curled and shaped his gloves and, transfixed, she watched the spandex cover his once human fingers where claws slowly stretched outwards. She felt them grow against her cheeks, squeezing an eye shut at the magick that tickled her face. It receded back up his arms and to his neck where his bell jingled into existence.

Her bluebell eyes gazed in wonder at the way his mask fell over his face. His clawed fingers twitched against her face when the black mask sparkled over his eyes, leaving in their wake not Adrien’s green orbs but the glowing, slitted eyes of Cat Noir. Finally, his ears popped up, flipping around the moment the last of the magick faded into the air. Her heart was still as frozen as the snow covering the courtyard, her breathing quiet and small. 

If she moved, she was afraid to break the spell his eyes cast on her, the way the slits bore into her very soul. Unaware of it, she raised a hand shakily to his face, fingers skimming the smooth, cold skin of his cheek right beneath the ridge of his mask. She left her white, gloved hand there, fingers poised against his cheek. His lids fell to halfway, the green slit eyes more intense, before a small, vibrating purr shot through her hand and straight into her heart, shocking it into beating at a quick, palpitating rhythm. 

It felt like forever before Cat’s piercing eyes fell away from her, his head turning to look out at the courtyard. Her hand fell from his face and her heart ached at the loss of contact. His booted feet took a few steps down the steps, his movements languid and slow, like he had all the time in the world. His head tilted up at the black sky before she watched his eyes flutter closed, her eyes wide, body cold against his missing warmth. 

His purring rumble had faded out and Marinette found the image of the black suited boy she loved standing alone in the courtyard, head facing the sky, too much for her breaking heart. With a cry and tears flying out of her eyes, she lunged for him, stumbling until she hit his back. She wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging him tight against her, her head nestled into his back. And she sobbed. Her cries rang out in the empty school, the snow falling around them. The sky was crying snow flakes and Marinette felt with each sob, each heave, each gasping cry that her heart was dying. The loneliness, the pain, the truth of their situation hitting her full force.

She loved him. Both sides of him. She always would but…..They couldn’t risk Paris for their feelings – _she_ couldn’t risk him. 

“Yes.”

His strong yet quiet voice paused her cries and she sniffled, squeezing him tighter, afraid if she let go that he would disappear. He sensed her hesitancy and he repeated, stronger, “Yes.”

She felt his large, clawed hands grip her wrists and she let out a pained cry when he tore her arms off him. He spun quickly to face her, her wrists still in his tight grip, and she met his eyes. She looked a mess, she knew. Her nose was running both from the cold and her tears, her eyes hot and painful. Her mouth was parted open, breathing heavy and broken. His eyes were dark and hard when he stared down at her, his ears flat against his head.

She could see the tightness of his jaw, his eyebrows scrunched together, both angry and painful at the same time. They stared together, feeling the heaviness between them, a tension that had never existed before and Marinette knew this was why secrets were meant to be kept. The truth hurt much more than any lie. 

He squeezed her wrists before he slowly let go, turning away from her and staring out into the middle of the courtyard. She watched his clawed hands turn into fists at his sides, his tail sinking to the ground. His head looked back at her from the side, eyes narrowed yet soft. “Follow me?”

The question in his voice – as if there even was a question about her following him – snapped her into action. She took a step forward, eyes welling with tears and Cat groaned, snapping his head away. His shoulders tightened as he snapped back to her, “Stop that!”

An indignant swell of anger flowed through her and Marinette’s back straightened, her own hands fisting as she growled back, hurt and anger failing to mask the hoarseness of her voice. “Oh, I’m sorry my crying has inconvenienced you. Since I’m such a bother, I’ll just leave!”

Tears fading, Marinette was left with her fists clenched, teeth grit together. She was about to turn away when Cat growled. It was a deep, dark sound that froze her blood, wild and feral and not at all the Kitty she knew. He shouted back at her and she sucked in a sharp inhale at his words. “Whenever you cry, all I want to do is kiss you until your pain goes away! Stop making me love you so much that it hurts!”

If someone had told her this morning when she woke up on Christmas day that not only would she discover Cat Noir was Adrien but that said hero would profess his love for her, Marinette would have probably punched them in the face in shock. Now, all she could do was stare at the wild-eyed animal that faced her. He was panting, his slit eyes dilating constantly into tiny slivers and she paled slightly when she saw the tips of fangs in his open mouth. His clawed hands had dug so deep, they had pierced his suit and small tendrils of blood dripped fro his fisted palms.

His ears were still deadly flat against his head but his tail was twitching angrily, no longer dropped to the ground. He was hunched into himself, wary, and Marinette’s heart stuttered an aching rhythm at the pain in his wild eyes. Cat snapped his eyes shut tightly, a vicious snarl showing off the tiny fangs in his mouth, before he spun around and stalked toward the little fort, back hunkered down. He growled loudly, a dark sound that vibrated the tense cold air when he stopped in front of the heartfelt surprise. He was vibrating with intensity one moment and the next, Marinette found her feet stumbling forward when his shoulders dropped and his head hung down.

It was such a defeated pose for the usually in control Cat Noir and she moved without thought, slowly approaching him from behind. A single ear flicked towards her movements and she stopped a couple of inches behind him. She knew he could feel her because she could feel him: a wild, dark intensity surrounding him. 

She was whispering before she could stop herself, his earlier words ringing not only in her mind but her heart, filling her body with a freezing heat that both chilled her and melted her. “Stop making me love you because I don’t-no, I _won’t_ lose you.”

Her voice cracked on the last word and she felt his shoulders tense, the air tightening with their words swirling around them like steel chains. The chained words around them hung between them, Marinette’s heart frantically reaching out to her partner. He had to understand. He had to understand she _couldn’t_ lose him. 

“Stop thinking of the future.” There was a dark growl in his words, body tense and tight, his back barely even moving to breathe. “Stop thinking of all the bad things that could happen!”

When he turned to face her, she unconsciously winced. The flash of guilt in his slit eyes was enough for her to take a shaky step forward despite the pain of their words, the pain of their love in the air. Mouth parting slightly, green eyes narrowed on her open mouth, and she raised a small hand to his cheek. Gripping her Cat’s cheek in her hand, she let out a relieved sigh. He was warm, he was there. Their eyes met again and Cat tilted his head into her hand, his small purr rumbling through them both. 

Even when he spoke, the vibrating rumble was hidden behind his words. “How about you focus on me and you, right here, right now.”

Her eyes watered and Cat’s glowing gaze zoned in on the budding tears in the corner of her eyes before he sharply inhaled, his body so tense he was almost made of stone. Then, slowly, he groaned, sharp cat-like orbs narrowing in on her lips. She knew it was coming, she could have stopped it, should have stopped it but…..When his clawed hands snapped up, grabbing her face, she should have hesitated to close her eyes but she didn’t.

He pulled her forward, tilting her head back, and his lips met hers with a fierce, wild abandon that left her reeling and her mind blank. She whined into the kiss when he dominated her with not just his kiss but his entire body. He stepped closer, his heat, his body, surrounding her in an intoxicating air of desire. His hands fell from her cheeks to her shoulders where he gave them a tight squeeze. His claws slightly pricked her and she gasped, her body jolting when Cat growled between their lips, the sound rumbling into her own body.

He trailed his hands down her side to her hips where they crawled around to her lower back. He drew circles on her lower back with a claw as his lips left hers for a single second. He didn’t give her any time before his hands suddenly tightened on her back and he lifted her off the ground, into his arms. He swallowed her squeak with another kiss, lips firm and persistent, demanding against her soft silken touch. She pressed against him, her legs wrapping around his waist and he gave a pleased growl in their kiss, nipping her bottom lip with his fangs in approval. 

She swallowed her gasp back and Cat followed the sound, his tongue delving into her mouth, twirling and prodding, both tender and passionate. Marinette felt her head spinning as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her heart pounding against her chest as her stomach pooled with heat. Despite the snow and the cold of Winter, she felt hot, warm, and Cat was not making it any better by kissing her senseless. All she could feel was his body pressed against hers, his lips, his teeth, dominating hers in a way that made her body ache for him.

She could smell him: musky, spicy, and a hint of freshness that brought forth a surge of desire so strong she pressed her hips into his, eliciting a desperate hiss from Cat. He pulled away from her lips to press a single kiss against her lips again and again, tender and soft. She giggled and Cat’s purr immediately rumbled through him, deeper than before, and Marinette finally felt a dark red blush splash across her cheeks in realization of their positions. 

Alya wouldn’t have to disown her after all and she was pretty sure she was getting to Code 126 tonight. As her kitty’s kisses trailed from her lips to her jaw to her neck, she clutched his back tightly, head tilted back with a gasp as she tried to reason with him, “We need to talk, Kitty.”

He grunted against her neck where he was scraping his fangs deliciously against her skin and causing her to shiver in his arms. His grip tightened around her, his hold firm and strong as he held her to him. Her legs twitched in her hold around his hips when he nipped her neck. His purr was still rumbling between them as he mumbled, breath hot on her skin, “We will. Later.”

She huffed a laugh but ended up moaning when he sucked gently on the bite mark he had left behind on her neck. “B-But what if –“

He growled and detached his lips from their spot on her neck before his eyes were boring into hers again. Marinette couldn’t help the flush of desire in her body at the dark, arousal swimming in his eyes as he glared half-heartedly at her. “Unless you’re saying my name, I really don’t want to hear it.”

She flushed a dark red and a catty smirk crossed his lips, his tail twitching proudly behind him. She tired to glare but knew it looked more like a pout when his smirk only widened. Her eyes softened and the pout faded as she leaned her forehead against his. Closing her eyes slowly, she whispered, “Merry Christmas, Kitty.”

She heard a deep chuckle before a small, sweet kiss grazed her lips. “Merry Christmas, Bugaboo.”

The rest was lost to the Winter chill, dimly lit candles, and all the what ifs, the future, faded into the black, bitter night.


	2. BONUS CHAPTER - Heart of the Peacock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emi is a simple shopkeeper on the Parisian streets, frequented by many artisans and craft workers, including her favourite customer, Marinette. This Christmas, since opening 2 years ago, she will be given three gifts. And maybe, she can find the way to save her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emi is NOT an own character! Read forward and you shall see.

On the lonely, dark, and quiet Parisian streets, a single shop’s dim lights broke through the thickly falling snow. The quaint little shop of La Petite Lumiere had two single candles lit atop the wooden counter, Emi’s golden hair lit by the halo of the burning wicks. Her hair was tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck and it fell over her shoulder as she bent beneath the counter to pull out a small, faded red box. She hummed as she stood to her feet and set the small container on the counter, leaning on her arms as she looked forlornly at the box, hoping maybe if she stared long or hard enough, her life could be fixed, back to the way it had been.

Before powers and akuma attacks and fear. Before the loss of her family and the pain of leaving behind her only tie to this world: her child. Her eyes fell half open and she reached a slow hand out to the faded, worn red box, flipping it open. It was flat in the middle, sky blue, with a peacock twisted into a circle. It was empty and Emi breathed out a quiet, humorless laugh as she whispered to the still air, “I miss you, old friend.”

A small whimper escaped before she slammed her eyes shut tight against the pressure of tears in her eyes, letting her head fall to the counter. Her body shook with her quiet cries, her eyes burning. She stood there crying, head on the cool wood of her counter, until she couldn’t cry any more. She cried until she had no more tears left to spill. Emi’s eyes were stinging, her cheeks bright red and when she lifted her head, staring down at that simple box that once held her Miraculous, a single memory pushed forward.

Green eyes so much like her own and a tall boy as he stood behind her favourite customer. She raised a trembling hand to her mouth and inhaled a cry. Oh, he was so much like her but she couldn’t have missed the loneliness in his eyes, the dejected set of his shoulders, and Emi wanted to punch Gabriel Agreste straight in the jaw. Taking a deep breath, she let it out in a breathy exhale a moment later, feeling her body relaxing as she slowly grabbed the box off the counter and held it in her hand. Her eyes ran over the intricate symbol on the front before she leaned down, placing it back in it’s hidden compartment. 

She leaned back up and her eyes fell on a still figure in the doorway of her shop. Any normal business owner would have freaked or screamed or called the police. Emi did not. She narrowed her eyes at the womanly figure, the sheen of glasses glinting in the moonlight falling through the glass of her shop, the candles reflecting back at her.

“You haven’t told him where I am, have you, Natalie?”

The figure stepped forward, the candles’ light falling on her. Natalie Sancoeur smiled but it was cold, emotionless, her hands clasped in front of her usual attire: a black dress jacket over a red sweater with black pants and black heels. Her usual red and black striped glasses were still reflecting the candle light so Emi couldn’t make out the look in her eyes. The woman’s hair was probably the most unusual and caused Emi to smile gently. 

Her hair was usually combed back into a bun, the right side dyed red but tonight, there was no bun. Instead her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders. The half-dyed red hair was pinned back with a butterfly pin at the top of her head and when Emi’s eyes fell on it’s symbol, her smile dropped completely. 

She looked at the counter, squeezing her hands together and telling the other woman, “I saw him today. Adrien. My Adrien….” She bit her lip as she thought of the man her son was becoming and the look in his eyes when he gazed at Marinette Dupain-Cheng and she knew, that no matter what happened, those two had a special connection. She could count on the girl to take care of her son. “He’s gotten so….Wonderful.”

“Emilie. You were not to see him. He…..Cannot know the truth.”

Emilie Agreste brought her emerald green eyes up to meet the glare of Natalie’s glasses, her smile pitiful, eyes shining. “I didn’t seek him out. He was with a girl. A regular of mine.” Emilie shook her head, blonde ponytail falling over her shoulder. “I adore her. She has such an eye for fashion and let me tell you, she will take the world by storm. Adrien…..He looked so happy with her.” Emilie’s eyes narrowed but her smile remained pleasant. Her gaze projected her threat clearly. “I would do anything to keep him happy.”

Slim fingers reached up to remove her glasses, tucking them into her black pants pocket, looking at Emilie through aqua blue eyes. Her smile was bitterly sweet as she approached the counter, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. “So would I, Emilie. So would I. That’s why I cannot let him know the truth.”

She took a deep breath before she asked, her voice hard. Her green gaze remained locked onto Natalie, judging her with a keen, calculating look that would make Hawkmoth back away in fear. “And Gabriel?” She snorted before Natalie could answer, shaking her head. “I already know. He hasn’t changed. He can’t. He couldn’t for me, he won’t for Adrien. He doesn’t know either, does he? That our son is Cat Noir? That every day that monster sends akuma after akuma after his own freaking son? You know, though, don’t you Natalie?”

Natalie’s gaze was firm but she gave a small nod, her voice carrying over like stone. “Of course. But….” She hesitated and Emilie breathed a sigh of relief before the other woman spoke, already thankful for her words. “I have not told him.”

She moved around the counter, towards the flickering candles, smiling down into the flames as she addressed Gabriel’s assistant. Her smile was sorrowful and lost in the dancing fire, burned by the memories in her heart. “I hope he loves you more than he loved me.”

There wasn’t a response but Emilie already knew not to expect one. The two had met occasionally but Emilie knew. Her gift had always been the truth and she could see it, could see the words, the feelings, all the hidden truths in a single soul. 

She did not epect Natalie’s heated response. “Please, Emilie, stop. He loves me but he will always love you. He –“

Emilie spun around, fists clenched, and the slim woman flew over the counter, sliding to stand in front of the heeled woman. She was only an inch taller than Natalie but Emilie Agreste was an imposing figure and she stared with burning green eyes into Natalie’s aqua blue. “Don’t you _dare_ say he loves me. That man isn’t capable of love for me. I’m not too sure he’s capable of love at all. He wants to erase our past, bring me back to him…..But I don’t care. Even if he gets the Miraculous, even if he makes that wish….” Emilie’s eyes darkened and she growled through her building tears. “I will _never_ go back to him again. That monster is not my husband!”

She was panting and Natalie’s eyes softened, pity reflecting in their blue depths. Natalie looked into her eyes without fear, standing tall and every ounce the woman Emilie knew Gabriel needed, the woman she could never have been. “He will do anything to have you again.”

Emilie stepped back, the tears blurring her vision. She brought her hands up to her face, shaking her head into them and crying out through her pain. “And you will let him kill our son!? You know what will happen if he makes that wish!” Emilie’s painful green orbs snapped up. Her heart was bleeding in her eyes, tears flowing down her cheeks, her mouth parted. “To bring back me would be to lose something of equal value…..”

Natalie’s eyes fell to the floor and Emilie was a bit comforted to see the woman’s hands clench, her usual nonchalant demeanor broken by the tensing of her shoulders and downcast eyes. “I won’t let Adrien get hurt. I’m here…..To give something back to you.”

Emilie dropped her hands, eyeing her husband’s lover with a critical gaze. She watched the woman reach into a small black purse on her right shoulder and retrieve a blue wrapped present. She held it out to her and Emilie took it slowly, their eyes meeting. 

She liked Natalie. Natalie loved Adrien and Natalie, when they did meet, told her little things that made her heart soar. She smiled gratefully, pulling the present to her chest. “Be there for him, Natalie. For both of them. Save my boys.”

For the first time since she had met the cold assistant, a true smile bloomed on the blue eyed woman’s face, her eyes glassy as she moved to place her glasses back over the bridge of her nose. “I thought you didn’t love Gabriel?”

Emilie closed her eyes, remembering a younger Gabriel Agreste. A younger man who was awkwardly confident. The days spent with him showing up to her sets with flowers, a wonderfully cute blush on his thin cheeks. She remembered basking in the warmth of his gray-blue eyes and the enveloping love that had flowed between them, suffocating and free at the same time. She opened her eyes and heard Natalie’s sharp inhale, the woman’s heels taking an unstable step backwards. 

Her voice was low and soft, full of bitter memories that made her heart ache. “I never said I didn’t love him. It’s hard not to. I remember the man I fell in love with. This…..This man who would hurt innocent people, who would hurt _our son_ , is not Gabriel. He’s not my Gabriel. He’s not the man I married. I love him still....But my love isn’t enough to save him.”

The two women stared at each other before Natalie rushed forward, her heels clicking on the floor, before she pulled Emilie into a tight hug. The blonde haired woman returned the gesture, hugging back just as tightly. 

Natalie mumbled into her shoulder with shaky breaths. “The man you love is still in there. He’s there, Emilie. I don’t know if….If anyone can save him, but –“ Natalie pulled back, holding Emilie by her arms. “But if anyone has a chance, it’s you.”

She closed her eyes, the present still clutched in her left hand, and felt her broken heart break a little more. When she opened them, Natalie was gone, darkness standing in her place. Blinking past the pain in her chest, Emilie Agreste slid to the floor, leaning her back against the counter behind her. Her long, lean legs were stretched out in front of her, her white pants stark against the darkness of her store. Her thick, white sweater had a silver ‘A’ on the front, from Gabriel Agreste’s Winter Collection.

She clenched the package so hard the object inside pricked her. Crying out, she brought the crumpled gift into her lap, staring at the blue wrapping paper. She left it in her lap and reached up to her neck, where a necklace sat against her chest. She pulled it free of her sweater and looked at the silver wedding ring hooked around it. Her eyes watered as she grasped the ring in her hand tightly, bringing it up to her lips and pressing a soft kiss to it’s cold, metal surface. God, did she love him still. Gabriel Agreste was not a bad man, she knew it, she had always known it. 

But with each akuma, it was _his_ heart that grew blacker and blacker. She knew, eventually, the darkness inside him would swallow him up. He had her Miraculous; there was no way for her to save him and he didn’t know where she was, who she had become. Her hair had been cut for the last 2 years, she had changed her name to Emi Paon, and she had stayed under the radar. She missed her son. She missed the warm, bright hugs she used to get from him, the way his face would light up when he smiled. She missed his warm green eyes.

But her heart lightened at the memory of this Christmas. Her greatest gift had already been given to her: her son was happy. She got to see those bright, warm green eyes when they looked at the black-blue haired girl she couldn’t wait to call her daughter-in-law. One day. She blinked down at the ring in her hands and read the words engraved on the inside: _‘Our love is everlasting.’_ She let the ring fall and reached for the package, slowly peeling away the paper. As the object was revealed, her eyes widened and her hands fell to her lap in surprise.

There, gleaming and shining, was a gift she had never thought she would be graced with again. Bright blues and greens made up the peacock shaped hair clip, a bright blue gem in the middle. It shimmered for a moment before a dark blue ball shot out. Shades of green and blue, sometimes a purple, all swirled and coalesced together inside before the orb shrunk into itself. With a small explosion of colourful sparkles, a small light blue form was huddled into itself, it’s tail feathers wrapped around it’s small body in a circle. 

Emilie breathed in a tearful gasp, her hands raising to catch the slowly lowering kwami. As soon as it’s feathery soft body touched her shaking hands, it shuddered before it’s tail flowered out. Six fluffy feathers flared out, the tips sporting a black dot surrounded by a pink circle and encased in a dark blue outline. It’s little body was slightly floating. Three light blue antenna in a line were lying almost flat against the little kwami’s head. A pink dot lie in the center of it’s forehead. Small, light and dark blue sparkles floated around the little sprite’s body as it’s arms and legs twitched, it’s closed eyes moving in awakening.

Slowly, those lids rose to reveal a dark blue sclera and golden irises. It blinked slowly, gathering it’s bearings. Emilie stared at her trusted friend and her lip trembled when it’s little head ducked down, eyes shut. It’s body sunk into her hand and it’s familiar voice came out as defeated and quiet. “What need do you have of me…..Master?”

Emilie felt a fury fill her veins, claws digging deeply into her heart. She brought the little sprite closer to her face, her eyes soft yet determined. When she spoke, she couldn’t keep the tremor from her tone. “I have missed you Duusu. So much. What has he done to you?”

Bright, golden irises shot open and snapped up to look in wide-eyed wonder into her own. A sort of magick flowed between them, pure and light, leaving Emilie feeling almost like the woman she used to be. Then, she watched as Duusu’s eyes filled with watery tears, his large eyes gleaming. His lip wobbled before, with a cry, he threw himself towards her. He cuddled into her cheek, his feathery tail wrapping around the bottom of her chin. She lifted a shaking hand, holding the kwami tightly to her as she closed her own eyes.

And then he wailed long, heart-wrenching sobs that brought a painful lump into Emilie’s throat. “I’m here, Duusu. I’m so sorry.”

Duusu suddenly peeled away from her cheek and she opened her eyes to glance at him. He was still crying but his sobs had lessened into sniffles and he had his paws on his hips, eyes narrowed onto her. “None of this is your fault, Em. I’m just….” She was used to his mood swings and the moment his eyes got big and watery, she laughed, pulling him back into her, this time to her chest as he began to cry again. “I’ve missed you sooooooo muuuuuuuch!!!”

Emilie laughed for the first time in years like she wasn’t the wife of Hawkmoth, like she hadn’t left her husband and son, like her Miraculous hadn’t been left behind with a monster. She laughed and it filled her body with a warmth she had almost forgotten how to feel. But Duusu had always been there. He was here now, too, right when she needed him. 

She let a hand raise to the crying kwami nestled against her chest, holding him to her, using her thumb to pet his head. He gave a little chirp here and there, his feathery tail vibrating in happiness. Kwami and Chosen revelled in the power, the bond, that swirled between them. 

“Why did Natalie return you to me, Duusu? Do you….Can you tell me?”

Duusu sniffled and when his little head looked up at her, her heart melted at the sweet, content smile gracing her old friend’s face. “Because you’re the only one who can save Ma –Hawkmoth.”

Emilie took in a deep breath before she lifted Duusu in her hands to her, her eyes soft yet determined. “I don’t know how. Not without giving away who I am.”

Duusu grinned. Emilie sighed in mock exasperation, her smile teasing. “What crazy plan have you concocted, Duu?”

Duusu flared out his feathers and lifted his head, looking down at her with his paws on his hips, antenna raised. He looked proud of himself, a look she remembered, and she huffed with amusement. “I know someone who can help. But he won’t be very happy to see you or me.”

Emilie raised a single eyebrow. “So what’s your plan to get him to talk to us?”

Duusu flew to her face, grinning, his golden orbs narrowing as he whispered, “How do you feel about a flight, Em?”

Her eyes lit up, her smile nearly breaking her face, heart pounding at the thought of flying over Paris once again. “Won’t he know? Isn’t it….Dangerous?”

Duusu nodded, grin showing off two fangs. “That’s a part of the thrill! Hawkmoth won’t know a thing unless we run into him and even then, Mas –Hawkmoth must have better things to do on Christmas!”

Emilie stood to her feet, Duusu flying out of her hands to pick up the Miraculous pin before it fell to the floor in her haste to stand. He carried the pin up to her and she reached for it with hesitant fingers. When her hand touched the familiar pin, she sucked in a breath at how right this felt, how her nerves, her gut, her heart, all melted into a tranquil peace flowing through her body. She stared at the pin before she curled her hand around it, looking up with a half-smile into her grinning kwami, his golden eyes glowing in her dimly lit shop.

The candles flickered, their dying flames blowing out when the dark blue, light blue, and purple sparkles filled the air. As the shop was covered in darkness, a form darted up to the roof, jumping across the rooftops of Paris. For the first time in years, her heart was finally free.


End file.
